Wyre

Wyre's population grew older between the last two censuses. At the same time there were changes in religion, housing tenure and health.

The population reached nearly 110,000

In the decade leading up to the most recent census, the population of Wyre increased by 2.0%, from almost 106,000 to 108,000.

The addition of just over 2,100 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Wyre was home to, on average, 2.7 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was lower than the average across the North West

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the North West, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Wyre

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Wyre increased by four years, from 43 to 47 years.

This remote area had the second-highest average age in the North West and remained older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 2,500 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just under 4,000.

About 14% of people in Wyre are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Wyre by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Wyre residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.3% to 1.8% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 2.9%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 1.3% in 2001 to 1.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Wyre remained close to 1.8%

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Wyre by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Wyre

Wyre saw the North West's third-largest fall in the proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

In 2011, just under 9 in 10 (87%) in Wyre reported not being limited in their day-to-day activities, compared with 88% in 2001. The percentage who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 4.2% to 5.2%.

Across the region, only Eden (from 90% to 89%) and Sefton (from 88% to 87%) saw a greater decrease in the proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

The proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents that reported not being limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Wyre

The number of people in Wyre that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 88,000 in 2001 to about 80,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 83% to 75% of the local population.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across the North West (from 78% to 67%) and the average across England (from 72% to 59%).

The number of people in Wyre that described themselves as having no religion increased from just over 9,900 in 2001 to just over 19,000 in 2011 (from 9.4% to 18%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation remained close to 7,100 (6.6%)

Just over 340 people (0.2%) said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism, up from about 230 in 2001 (0.3%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population who identified as Christian in Wyre decreased by 8.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Wyre by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Wyre that rented privately increased from 8.3% to 14% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

The percentage that lived in social housing remained close to 7.0%, while the percentage of Wyre households that owned their home decreased from 83% to 78%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased at a slower rate here than the figure for the whole of the North West (from 8.5% in 2001 to 15% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.9% to 17%.

Private renting in Wyre increased by 5.3 percentage points

Percentage of households in Wyre, the North West and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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